Scandal-hit West Midlands Fire Service is named fifth best employer for inclusion
West Midlands Fire Service has been named the fifth best organisation for being an inclusive employer by a national league table despite criticism over recruitment failings.
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The brigade has been given a gold award in the Inclusive Top 50 UK Employers List for diversity and inclusion initiatives.
The service stated that to be named was both a great honour and testament to its work to embed best practices in relation to diversity.
It was the highest ranked public service and highest ranked emergency service to be recognised at the awards event, held in Manchester on Thursday, November 28.
The service also stated that research showed that more diverse organisations perform better and are also better places to work, capturing diverse talents from the whole population and becoming more competitive as a result.
The judging panel looked at diversity, recruitment, training, workforce data and diversity-related initiatives.
The award comes after a report found significant weaknesses relating to the governance of the authority and that it had breached its own constitution in relation to the suspension of an unnamed senior officer in May this year. It also failed to follow the correct procedures in the appointment of a senior officer earning in excess of £100,000 a year, and had not complied with its responsibilities in checking out the educational qualifications of former chief executive Wayne Brown.
Mr Brown, who had held the post since 2022, was found dead at his home in Birmingham in January amid allegations that he had misled the authority about his qualifications.
